Texas Republican senator and 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz apologized on Wednesday for making a joke about Joe Biden less than a week after the death of the vice president’s son.
Cruz was reportedly speaking at a GOP event in Howell, Michigan. Chad Livengood, a reporter for The Detroit News, tweeted that Cruz made the following joke: "Vice President Joe Biden. You know the nice thing? You don’t even need a punch line.”
Cruz acknowledged the barb was ill-advised.
Cruz has made the Biden joke numerous times during his stump speeches, according to NBC News' Alex Moe.
Biden’s son, Beau, died Saturday of brain cancer. Beau Biden was 46.
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“The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us — especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter,” Vice President Biden said in a statement Saturday.
“Beau Biden believed the best of us all. For him, and for his family, we swing our lanterns higher. Michelle and I humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on Earth,” President Obama said in a statement Saturday.
Beau Biden’s funeral is scheduled to be held Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware. Obama will deliver a eulogy at the services.